Mistfall

Mistfall

Olivia Martinez

Cover Artist: Tugboat Design

Formatted by: Tugboat Design

www.tugboatdesign.net

Mistfall

Copyright 2012 Olivia Martinez

All Rights Reserved

Smashwords Edition

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

For Merle and Grace. I love you!

I wanted to thank everyone that helped by editing, critiquing, or cheering me on.

Melissa, Michelle V.,

Karin, Hailz, Niki,

Mandy, Michelle C,

Kristi, Liz, Kelly,

Melissa F., and Layla Darnell.

Thank you for helping, it means a lot to me!

Prologue

When I was five years old, my parents had me exorcised. On occasion I had told my parents that I could do things. They always put it off as the imagination of a young child. One day, I showed them. I made three bouncy blue balls rise up in the air and travel around the living room. My parents freaked out and went to the psychologist for Valium and sent me to a priest for an exorcism.

At five years old, most things that went bump in the night scared the bejeebees out of me. Being the object of an exorcism at such a young age was the single most terrifying thing I had ever been through. Father O’Rourke looked like he was possessed himself. He began the demon expulsion by flinging water at me and screaming incoherent Latin.

The worst was when he pushed me to the ground. I started kicking and screaming because I thought he was going to kill me. He, on the other hand, thought some demon was fighting him back and held me to the ground, still yelling Latin at me.

After a terrifying twenty minutes it was over. I was pronounced demon free. My parents were ecstatic and I had learned a very valuable lesson. I was never going to tell anyone my secret again.

I never mentioned a word of what I could do for three long years. It was only when I met my neighbor Willa, that I spoke once again of my powers.

Willa had moved next door to us a few weeks after my eighth birthday. My mother was a bit wary of our new neighbor, though her apprehensions never seemed to matter when Willa offered her services to babysit.

My parents never treated me quite the same after my little display and distanced themselves from me. As good Christians, they wouldn’t turn me away though. I did, however, spend a lot of time at Willa’s.

I didn’t mind the arrangement either. Willa was an eight year old’s dream. Cookies and milk always flowed, the stories were over the top, and she never told me to be quiet. Willa didn’t just let you color or play dress-up, she joined in too. It was great having a playmate that acted young enough to be my friend, but old enough to turn on the oven and make cookies.

In a few short months, Willa became my trusted confidante. I would tell her my secrets and she told me hers. One day, I felt that I could tell her about my magic. I had her watch as I spilled my milk on the floor and magically made it pick itself up and return to the glass.

She didn’t react the way my parents did, though I wasn’t expecting the reaction she did have. Willa whisked me to her basement. There were no windows. It was floor to ceiling stone. Even the door was made out of stone. It was a little weird.

The stones keep our secrets, she responded, as if she knew what I was thinking. You can never tell anyone your secret Mags, you have to promise me that. I looked down at my toes. I was ashamed to tell Willa that I had told someone…my parents. I found the courage though and told her the story of my exorcism.

Bah, Willa said, shaking her head. Stupid priests, they don’t know the difference from a demon possession and a hole in the ground. Well, from here on out no one else needs to know. What the priest did was negligible to what others would do if they knew your secret. Promise me Mags; promise me you will never tell anyone else.

I won’t Willa. How come you aren’t scared like everyone else? I asked.

I am just like you, she replied.

What do you mean, just like me? I must have looked as confused as I sounded because Willa softly laughed at my question before she answered. Child, we are jinn, born from a smokeless flame of the great scorching fire.

What’s a jinn?I asked.

Ever see ‘Aladdin?’

Oh I love that movie Willa! It has a genie that grants magical wishes.

Willa smiled at me. Child, a genie is a jinn.

I thought I felt my jaw hit the floor. Willa, I don’t want to be a big blue blob without any feet, stuck in a lamp for thousands of years.

Well then, don’t worry; none of those things are true, except the name. You, my love, are jinn.

1. Secret’s In the Sauce

Eew Mags, that’s so gross. I AM NOT remaking dinner!

I had just slain a ghoul that was intent on having me for its evening meal. It just so happened, the arm I severed landed in the pot my roommate, Melissa, was using to make chicken and dumplings for dinner.

What Melissa? Would you rather have had your dinner ruined or been that thing’s chew toy? I asked.

Melissa had been my roommate and best friend for the past five years. She was used to my sarcasm by now. That by no way meant I was forgiven for the ghoulie stew though.

I get it, I really do. All of Hades has it out for you and this is a part of your life, but can you keep it out of the food Mags?

I tried lightening the mood. So what are you making for dinner? I ducked as Melissa lobbed an onion at me.

I probably should’ve been more apologetic instead of sarcastic to my roommate seeing that was, including the ghoul, the third hell-monster that made its way past her wards this week. Melissa is a Witch and a pretty powerful one at that. Unfortunately, that meant Iblis just upped the ante on my capture. Damn, I thought I was going to have a quiet night.

Iblis. Besides being a huge pain in my ass, he’s one of the biggest, meanest baddies out there. He’s the basis for what the humans call Satan. Yup, I had that hunting me down. Oh wait, the hits just keep on coming. I also had the Aelfadl after me too.

Aelfadl is Elvish for nightmare and is the name of the elven assassins. They’re supposed to be the good guys and they probably are too, but they’ve been chasing me since I was twenty, for the crime of being born an Iblian jinn. They, along with Iblis, could kick rocks for all I care.

I’m a jinn. There are three types of us: the Ifrit, Marid, and Iblian. Ifrits are the weakest of our kind. They reside in Hades, can change into different animals, and are notorious firebugs. Marids have to be the most arrogant and vain individuals I have ever met. They are stronger than the Ifrits, prefer watery abodes, and require a great amount of flattery to get them to do anything. Then there’s the Iblian jinn, the most powerful type of jinn and what I happen to be.

Want to know a sure fire way to tell who’s an Iblian? We have violet eyes, the only beings to have that trait. I may as well have a bull’s-eye attached to my backside. There are also only two of us left, Iblis and myself.

I can’t speak for Iblis, but I prefer my house on the Mistfall side of Harmony, Kentucky, comfy fleece jammies, and I am pretty law abiding as long as something isn’t trying to kill me.

The Aelfadl doesn’t care about the other jinn, just us purple eyed lovelies. About two hundred years ago, The Powers That Be of Otherworldy Creatures (The Powers from here on out) deemed Iblian jinn a threat to all of our kind and decided we needed to be hunted to extinction. I’m not saying they weren’t right, but I know of one living exception to the rule.

I’ve been told that Iblian jinn originated the term hell raiser. I guess they were all in competition for enslaving and ruling otherworldly beings and at one point became a threat. I get their point, but can’t a girl get a fair trial?

Iblis…I have no clue why that bastard has it out for me. Shortly after I made it onto the Aelfadl’s radar, he started sending his minions after me. Thank Hades for weapons training!

Ghouls weren’t the hardest things to kill, but they sure were messy. They were rotting flesh bags with brains and had a penchant for eating their kills. The dead one in my house was starting to stink up the place.

I closed my eyes and imagined the ghoul’s body and its recently liberated appendage disappear, along with the ruined dinner. Thinking I didn’t want my house smelling like a corpse flower, I magicked a little air freshener too. I figured I owed Melissa a dinner so I conjured up her favorite, chicken tikka masala.

Melissa’s concerns were forgotten momentarily as she dug into her dinner, relishing every spicy bite. After a few mouthfuls she put her fork down and sighed. You can’t keep placating me by magicking up my favorite foods every time I get upset. I’m going to get fat!

You’re lucky I make them low cal then, I told her, otherwise we’d be hauling you out of here with a forklift!

Thwap. I rubbed the back of my head where the onion found its target, a bump beginning to form. Ouch! A bit touchy are we?

Melissa smirked. I didn’t want to get up close and personal with the rest of the produce in the house, so I changed the subject to the Introductory to Magic class she taught. Have your students mastered the Mistfall spell yet? (Mistfall was a spell that kept us secluded from the prying eyes of the humans. It looks like fog and if a human was to take a close look, their attention gets diverted elsewhere, making them forget what they were doing).

No, not yet, she sighed. They don’t seem to want to learn anything above basic spells and potions. She shook her head. Not a one of them want to bother with anything that looks, smells, or feels like work. It’s all instant gratification with these kids and they’re our future. I think my species is doomed."

I laid my hand on top of hers. I’m sure it will all work out, I reassured her.

Melissa’s a natural teacher. I think her goal in life is to pass on the knowledge she has to someone deserving of it. Deserving young Witches and Warlocks were few and far between these days and you could tell it bothered her more than she was letting on.

As far as Witches go, my roommate had a hand dealt to her by the goddess herself. Not only was she powerful enough to possibly end up on the Witch’s council one day, she was beautiful too. She has honey-blond hair, skin the color of cream, and curves in all the right places. I’ll admit I am a bit jealous of her. I’m not deficient in the looks department, but I feel rather plain compared to my best friend. I’m on the tall side with long, raven black hair, skinny, and would call my curves proportionate. Nothing to complain about, but every girl has her insecurities.

Forget about it. Melissa shook herself out of her bad mood. We should probably go and train. I’ll work off my frustrations on you. She smiled at the thought which told me I was in for a tough training session.

Alright, I’ll meet you in the basement in ten minutes, I told her.

I went to my room and changed into my favorite pair of black yoga pants, a hot pink fitted tee, and my tennis shoes. I really wasn’t in the mood to train since I had battled it out with the ghoul earlier, but Melissa never lets me take a break, regardless of what recent attack I’ve had. Needless to say, between her and the beasties, I keep in pretty good shape.

Come on, you’re not even trying Mags! she reprimanded and swung one of a pair of hooked swords towards my midsection.

I jumped out of the way in time and deflect her strike with my sabre, a slightly s-shaped sword. Why the weapons training if I have magic or why not a gun? It’s good to have a back-up defense and bullets, while they hurt like hell, are ineffective. Only weapons made by the dwarves of Elemental Deep cause us any lasting trauma. Dwarves won’t make guns or bullets either.

I trained earlier Melissa, don’t you remember? I made you ghoulash. Get it? Ghoulash? I couldn’t help but laugh.

Something hit me in the chest and the next thing I knew I was airborne. I flew ten feet and landed on my back. I gasped for air. Instead of getting up, I lay on the ground, waiting for the feeling of a bear sitting on my chest to go away.

Melissa looked down at me. Instead of wasting energy being a smart ass, why don’t you use some of that and train?

Alright, I pouted. Just give me a minute.

You won’t have a minute when you’re being attacked by the next Aelfadl or Goddess only knows what kind of demon spawn, so get up off your ass and fight!

I wasn’t getting out of this training session until I had beat her. I miss the ghoul.

Figuring the only way to end this quickly was to catch her off guard; I got up to a crouched position, magicked up some fire, and shot it straight at her feet. From there it took on a life of its own, encircling her, then growing up towards the ceiling. It gave me the advantage I needed. Melissa had to drop one of her swords to combat my fire attack.

As she was extinguishing it, I rushed her, brought my sword up and swung it down towards her neck. She met my attack, blocking my blow with only one sword. She was just as good with one sword as she was two.

We kept on for another twenty minutes, each of us attacking, deflecting, and using every dirty magic trick there was in the book. I finally got the upper hand when she stumbled over the words to a spell.

I conjured up a shadow back and to the right of her. It was in her line of sight and I knew she would look since her wards had been breached and the monsters had gotten past them. As soon as she was distracted, I swept her legs out from underneath her, put my foot on her chest, and brought my blade down, stopping only millimeters above her neck. I had a big ear to ear grin on my face.

Are we done now? I looked at my watch. "It’s after nine and we’re supposed to meet your dog at ‘The Lamp.’ I hoped bringing up the subject of her new boyfriend would convince her to lay off training early.

She gave me a dirty look. First of all, would you get that thing away from my neck and secondly, would you quit calling Owen a dog? He’s really fun to hang out with.

I dropped my sabre and gave her a hand up. She was walking towards the stairs when she turned around with a smile on her face. AND, he’s not mine, well at least not yet anyway. She turned back around and headed up the stairs.

Make sure you house-train him first! I yelled up the stairs at her.

I heard the onion before I saw it and ducked in just enough time. I don’t know what she has against this vegetable.

2. Man’s Best Friend

After a quickie shower I was standing in front of my closet. There wasn’t anything in there I wanted to put on, so I put my jinn skills to work. I went with a shimmery, midnight blue halter top and a pair of boot cut jeans. Skinny jeans with stiletto boots were what I really wanted to wear, but you can’t fight in stilettos. One of these days I’m going to wear clothes for fashion and not function. I decided to keep going with the magic and made my hair curl up into perfect beachy coils. I kept my make-up simple, with a little black eyeliner and my favorite lip gloss, Pucker Up Pink.

Now for the accessories, I told myself. In the top drawer of my dresser are a few of my favorite weapons for concealing. I chose two daggers that I could slip in my boots for easy access and a few small throwing knives I could carry in a purse. I grabbed my jacket and headed out the door with Melissa.

After a ten minute drive and an off-key rendition of The Beatle’s ‘I Am the Walrus,’ we arrived at our destination. The Lamp was your typical club. It had an upstairs and downstairs bar along with a dance floor. The only thing of note was the sign for the club. Above the lettering was an oil lamp in bright neon yellow with a ridiculous green cartoon genie coming out of it. I hated that thing and had, on more than one occasion, used a little magic to short out the lights on it. Even amongst Otherworlders, we were stereotyped in the human fashion.

We met Melissa’s boyfriend, Owen, and the rest of the litter by the front doors. Owen and his pack weren’t bad guys, I just can’t’ stand werewolves. They can’t go anywhere without each other, have an insane jealous streak, and their machismo attitude makes me want to throw up on a good day.

I would have rather stayed home, but it had been a long week and I could use a drink or four.

Owen wasn’t a bad looking guy. He was tall, dark, and handsome. Being a werewolf, he was all muscle. There wasn’t a space on this guy’s body that wasn’t defined.

He put his arm around Melissa’s shoulders in a way that could only be considered possessive. I was surprised he hadn’t urinated on her and marked his territory.

Hey babe, he greeted Melissa and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. He then turned to me. Mags, I want you to meet a friend of mine. Owen gestured to his friend, This is David.

Sweet flippin’ Hades, the hound was setting me up! If looks could kill, Melissa would be dead. I was shooting lasers out of my eyes at her. She shrugged as if she didn’t know anything and gave me an apologetic smile. Left without a choice, I composed myself and forced out a smile.

I stuck my hand out. Hi David, it’s nice to meet you. I could be civil, well at least I could try. Even if he wasn’t a werewolf, he wouldn’t have been my type. He was short, stocky, and ginger. Ginger!

He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips with a lascivious gleam in his eyes, The pleasure is all mine.

I took every last bit of will power I had not to roll my eyes. Pretending to shiver, I said It’s a bit chilly out here, why don’t we go in?

I looked to Melissa for support. She knew me well and picked up at the obvious pleading in my eyes. Come on Owen, Mags is right, it is cold out her.

Instead of relinquishing my hand, David held onto it as we followed Owen and Melissa to the bouncer outside the door, with the rest of the dogs behind us.

Vin, the bouncer was a demon and built like a brick shithouse. He was menacing looking, even more so with black eyes. No irises, no whites, just pure midnight for eyes. He also just happened to be a big teddy bear where Melissa and I were concerned. We had helped him out of a sticky situation involving a pixie and handcuffs. Don’t ask, you don’t want to know.

How are my two favorite Witches? he grinned and pulled each of us under an arm and gave us a rib cracking squeeze.

If you didn’t know Vin, his voice alone could make you pee your pants. He was a demon. Demons have this weird voice where it sounds like three people talking at once. Sometimes it even caused me to shudder.

I should mention that to everyone else, I appear as a Witch. Thanks to a potion of Melissa’s, nothing about me screams jinn. One part of the potion works like the Mistfall. If someone was to look at me closely, it diverts their attention. The other part is glamour, making my eyes blue.

Melissa and I call her potion brew in case company is around. If it comes up, she just explains that I have some type of weird skin condition, embarrassing yet effective. I just have to remember to use my hands or make up some mumbo jumbo that sounds like a spell when I use my magic. I try to keep that at a minimum in public to lessen my chance of exposure. I owe that girl my very existence.

Hi Vin, we both squeaked under the mountains this guy had for arms. I swear I heard one of the wolves growl. Vin narrowed his eyes at them, but let us go. His cute and cuddly demeanor was replaced with his usual gruff. I.D.’s, he grunted in his creepy demon voice.

Should have asked for their dog tags, I humored to myself. They handed over their identification to Vin, albeit reluctantly. Shortly thereafter we walked through the doors, the rest of the pack dispersing, aside from Owen and David.

Wow, it crowded in here tonight, I yelled to Melissa over the sound of the music. She nodded back in agreement, while being led by Owen through the masses. The crowd on the dance floor was pulsating to Skrillex’s ‘Kyoto.’

When we got to the booth, Melissa slid in on one side and David put his hand on my waist, nudging me to sit down on the other side. I swatted at his hand but he just laughed, making some comment about, liking them feisty. I could feel one of the knives in my boot itching to be used.

We’re going to the bar, Owen addressed us. What do you girls want to drink?

Rum and coke for me, Melissa replied.

Don’t worry, I got you covered, David cut me off as he walked off with Owen.

Maybe I could just stab him a little.

What the hell? I admonished Melissa, my voice rising in decibel. This guy is a total piece of work and if he touches me one more time he’s going to find the business end of my boot!

She looked sheepishly down at her hands. Honestly, I didn’t know Owen was going to set you up, but when he introduced you to David, I didn’t think you’d mind. He’s usually pretty laid back. I’m not sure what has him acting so foolishly.

She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Mags, do you think you could hold it together for one drink? she pleaded. It’s so loud in here you won’t have to talk to him that much and after were done, we can go and dance without the boys. Please? I promise I will make it up to you. It’s just that I really like Owen and I don’t want to end the night early.

I was purposely avoiding eye contact with her, entirely way too interested in the invisible lint I was picking off my pants. If I didn’t owe this woman my life…It took